The company Ventisqueros reported damage to the structure of its culture center located in Quemch

Riquelme stressed that the company breached obligations expressly defined in the regulation to deal with such eventualities, such as timely notification to the authorities and activate a contingency plan to recapture the escaped specimens.

"The information available indicates that Productos del Mar Ventisqueros S.A. did not give notice of the fish escape and that it did not activate the action plan associated with an event of this nature," said the undersecretary.

"It is unacceptable. Producers must effectively fulfill their obligations to the community, the environment and the law," he said, regarding the consecutive fish escapes.

The first salmon escape occurred in the Tubildad farming center, located in the commune of Quemchi, Chiloé. The second took place in a collection site of the same company, but in the Bahía Chincu sector, Puerto Montt.

SERNAPESCA already filed two complaints against Productos del Mar Ventisqueros SA: one in the Superintendency of the Environment, for the episode of Quemchi, and another before the Justice, due to the escape in Bahía Chincu.

Ventisqueros S A Chile

"Salmon farming is a key productive sector and, therefore, its work must comply scrupulously with the norms that aim to safeguard sanitary aspects, as well as care for the environment. We will be inflexible when applying the corresponding sanctions when it is verified the breach of the current regulations," warned the undersecretary.

Riquelme anticipated that SERNAPESCA will maintain a permanent control over the operations of the salmon farms, and that the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SUBPESCA) will continue adopting measures aimed at sustainable development of the sector.

An example of this is the normative adjustments recently made by SUBPESCA, to avoid fish overcrowding and thus prevent the outbreak of diseases in the farming centers.

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